OROMAY

OROMAY BAALU GIRMA "A modern classic" OBSERVER "Astonishing and compelling" MAAZA MENGISTE ETHIOPIA, 1982 After a decade of conflict, the government is determined to quash the Eritrean insurgency once and for all. As head of propaganda, it's Tsegeye's job to keep the people onside. But his experiences in the back and cafes of Asmara and on the battlefield shake his faith in it, 'cause he cares and human nature itself. A masterpiece of Ethiopian literature, this sly takedown of the country's repressive regime became an instant sensation when first published in 1983, and was quickly banned. Baalu Girma vanished in 1984, most likely murdered in retaliation for this novel. "A gripping tale of love, war and espionage" TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT "Reading Oromay sent me back to when I first watched Casablanca" ANDREY KURKOV "Absorbing... What makes Oromay so subversive is its counterpoint of war's horror with romance" TELEGRAPH Translated from the Amharic by David DeGusta and Mesfin Felleke Yirgu www.maclehosepress.com MACLEHOSE PRESS FICTION ISBN 978-1-52942-841-4 FSC 9781529428414 An imprint of QUERCUS Cover design by Nathan Burton 10 ALL ROADS LEAD TO ASMARA "Comrade Tsegeye, phone call from Addis Ababa," says Rezan. My secretary is now almost my boss. She orders every-body around in my name, including me. Groaning, I grab the receiver and bark, "Who is it?" "Why are you angry?" It's my fiancée, Roman Hiletework. I haven't been calling her as often. When women are left on the side, they get elements drew a large readership, its unflinching portrayal of the regime and its missteps was unprecedented among the highly censored literature published under the Derg. Within days of Oromay's publication, the regime fired Girma, banned Oromay, and sent soldiers into bookshops and markets to confiscate copies. Six months later, on February 14, 1984, Girma vanished. The consensus is that he was kidnapped and murdered by the regime in retaliation for Oromay, but no definitive evidence has ever emerged. Girma certainly knew that he was risking his life by publishing Oromay, and it is partly for his courage in renouncing the hated Derg that he and the novel hold such an honoured place in Ethiopian cultural history. This translation, one of the first of an Amharic novel, was prepared with the full support and close cooperation of the Girma family. - David DeGusta and Mesfin Felleke Yirgu UK £12.99